Links’ Aarhus and Mofokeng’s Royale Union Saint-Gilloise will play in the UEFA Europa League after they suffered defeats in the third qualifying round of the elite European club competition on Tuesday.
Links, who recently renewed his contract with Danish champions Aarhus, was taken off in the second half as his side were handed a 4-0 thrashing away in Azerbaijan by Sabah, the club that Chiefs defender Aden McCarthy recently joined.
McCarthy was again an unused substitute as Sabah secured a 5-2 aggregate triumph and moved through to the two-legged play-offs, where they will meet either Hapoel Be’er Sheva of Israel or former European champions Red Star Belgrade of Serbia to decide a place in the league phase.
McCarthy has yet to make a competitive appearance for his side this season but will hope that comes soon, and that he gets the chance to play against the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal or Barcelona in the league phase.
Mofokeng, who scored on his league debut for Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise on Saturday, was brought on for extra time as his side were level 2-2 with Bodø/Glimt away in Norway but eventually lost 3-2.
Mofokeng was not used in last week’s first leg in Belgium, which ended in a 3-3 draw, but with the tie going to extra time with the two sides level on aggregate, he would have hoped to make a decisive impact, as he did in the Belgian Super Cup in his first appearance for his new club following his move from Orlando Pirates.
But it was the home side who scored three minutes before the tie would have gone to penalties to put Bodø/Glimt through to the play-offs.
South African players in the UEFA Champions League have been a rarity in recent years, with Benni McCarthy famously the only one to lift the trophy when he helped José Mourinho’s FC Porto to the title in the 2003/04 season.